Billionaire investor Bill Ackman is accusing Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa of keeping his struggling New York mayoral campaign alive to bankroll his family and friends with taxpayer money.

Ackman’s charge, posted on X, intensifies an already volatile New York race now defined by fear of a socialist takeover.

Ackman said he spoke with a “highly credible source” who alleged that Sliwa’s wife, friends, and associates are on the campaign payroll — all funded by New York City’s 8-to-1 public matching program. The investor claimed Sliwa received roughly $5 million in matching funds and is refusing to drop out because doing so would require returning unspent money.

“He and they are enjoying living off the city taxpayers who are funding his race and lifestyle,” Ackman wrote. “He doesn’t want to end his campaign and have to return the funds.”

Ackman called on Sliwa to “clarify the record” and disclose whether any family members or friends are being paid through campaign accounts. “Follow the money,” he urged — adding that his source said Sliwa “doesn’t give a sh–” about New York.

Sliwa Handing Mamdani the Race

Ackman, who supports Andrew Cuomo’s independent bid, argues that Sliwa’s refusal to withdraw has all but hands over victory to Democrat socialist Zohran Mamdani, who now commands about 90% odds of winning on prediction markets.

“It wasn’t Mamdani’s debate performance — it was Sliwa’s insistence that he’s staying in the race that pushed Mamdani’s odds to 90 percent,” Ackman posted alongside Polymarket data.

Sliwa’s campaign shot back, dismissing Ackman’s remarks as interference by billionaires. “Let the people decide,” said spokeswoman Maria Sliwa, who is also the candidate’s wife. “Cuomo lost the Democratic primary. If anyone should drop out, it’s him.”

GOP Using Mamdani to Destroy NYC

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo blasted Sliwa as a spoiler candidate propped up by Republican county chairs who secretly want Mamdani to win so they can turn him into a national symbol of far-left extremism, as the New York Post reports.

“Curtis cannot win,” Cuomo said on WABC Radio. “He was put on the ballot by the Republican county bosses because he’s a spoiler — and they want Mamdani to win.”

Cuomo warned that the GOP’s cynical strategy is to parade Mamdani around the country as “the face of the Democratic Socialists — anti-cop, anti-business, antisemitic — the man who released 7,000 inmates from Rikers.”

“It’ll help them politically, but it’ll kill the city,” Cuomo said. “You defund the police, you close Rikers, you empty 7,000 prisoners into the streets — New York will never be the same.”

The former governor urged Republican voters to abandon Sliwa and unite behind his campaign, arguing that a vote for Sliwa is effectively a vote for Mamdani. “If you support Curtis, you might as well vote for Mamdani,” he said. “That’s what the GOP bosses really want.”

High Stakes for New York

Mamdani, 33, a Queens socialist assemblyman, shocked the political establishment by defeating Cuomo in the Democratic primary. He’s backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, and if elected would become New York’s first Muslim mayor.

His platform includes closing Rikers Island, slashing NYPD funding, and imposing new taxes on large corporations — policies Cuomo and Ackman alike call existential threats to the city’s economy and public safety.

Cuomo, 65, is seeking a comeback as a centrist independent, while Sliwa, 69, is running again as the Republican nominee after his 2021 loss.

As New York heads toward its November 4 election, the city faces a stark choice between a socialist insurgent, a centrist ex-governor, and a Republican firebrand dogged by accusations of self-dealing.

For Ackman and Cuomo, the stakes are clear: stop Mamdani — or watch New York slide into chaos.